DIAMOND CARAT WEIGHT
Carat weight is the most intuitive of the 4Cs – you expect a larger diamond to be worth more when assigning diamond values. Diamonds and other gemstones are weighed using metric carats with one carat weighing about the same as a small paper clip, or 0.2 grams. Just as a dollar is divided into 100 pennies, a carat is divided into 100 points which means that a diamond of 50 points weighs 0.50 carats. But two diamonds of equal weight can have very different values depending on the other three characteristics of a diamond’s 4Cs: clarity, color, and cut. The majority of diamonds used in fine jewelry weigh one carat or less.
Because even a fraction of a carat can represent a considerable difference in cost when purchasing diamonds, exact precision is crucial.
In the diamond industry, weight is measured to a thousandth of a carat and rounded to the nearest hundredth. Each hundredth is called a point (a 0.25 ct. diamond would be called a “twenty-five pointer”). Diamond weights greater than one carat are expressed in carats and decimals.
How did the carat system start?
The modern carat system started with the carob seed. Early gem traders used the small, uniform seeds as counterweights in their balance scales. The carat is the same gram weight in every corner of the world.
What are "magic sizes"?
Some weights are considered "magic sizes" - half carat, three-quarter carat, and carat. Visually, there's little difference between a 0.99ct. diamond and one that weighs a full carat. But the price differences between the two can be significant.
All Information reprinted with permission from the Gemological Institute of America website.
Because even a fraction of a carat can represent a considerable difference in cost when purchasing diamonds, exact precision is crucial.
In the diamond industry, weight is measured to a thousandth of a carat and rounded to the nearest hundredth. Each hundredth is called a point (a 0.25 ct. diamond would be called a “twenty-five pointer”). Diamond weights greater than one carat are expressed in carats and decimals.
How did the carat system start?
The modern carat system started with the carob seed. Early gem traders used the small, uniform seeds as counterweights in their balance scales. The carat is the same gram weight in every corner of the world.
What are "magic sizes"?
Some weights are considered "magic sizes" - half carat, three-quarter carat, and carat. Visually, there's little difference between a 0.99ct. diamond and one that weighs a full carat. But the price differences between the two can be significant.
All Information reprinted with permission from the Gemological Institute of America website.